First papal visit to France in almost 2 decades attracts hundreds of thousands of worshipers for Mass

Updated on: September 26, 2026 / 12:58 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Hundreds of thousands of people packed Paris' iconic Champs-Élysées Avenue for Pope Leo XIV's big outdoor Mass on Saturday, a sign of the Catholic Church's enduring appeal in the once staunchly Catholic but officially secular country.

The Vatican estimated that 800,000 people came out for the Mass — more than the 600,000 who had registered in advance. The stunning turnout testified to the church's enduring influence in France, despite sharp declines in churchgoing in recent decades and secularizing trends that have emptied churches around Europe.

During his speech, Leo encouraged attendees in a mostly secular France "to build a renewed nation upon roots nourished by faith."

Although a massive security blanket shut down central Paris to road traffic, the party-like atmosphere drew people of multiple faiths and no faith at all. The fervor spanned generations. People brought dozens of babies and young children from the crowd for Leo to caress on the head as he rode slowly past them aboard the popemobile.

"The message of Pope Leo goes well beyond Catholic people; he speaks about social justice, for example," said Leontine Joseph, 42, a fervent Catholic who came with…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/